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| Friday,
June 22, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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PAU fires employee for embezzlement Ludhiana, June 21 Confirming the orders, Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor said the university had recommended registration of a criminal case against the accused. The accused allegedly tried to destroy the evidence by showing the papers were damaged in a fake fire that broke out in their office. Bikramjit Singh, a Junior Assistant in the Estate Office, was today issued orders of dismissal. Two others namely D.S. Cheema and Amarjit Singh, both former Superintendents in the Estate Office, were also chargesheeted in the case. The university has ordered recovery of the embezzled money from them. Cheema is presently serving as Superintendent, Dean of Agriculture, while Amarjit Singh had retired from the university a couple of years ago. The three were assigned duties of maintaining the record of money received as earnings from a number of guest houses of the university and later depositing it with the cashier. According to an inquiry conducted by the university, they did not deposit the money and prepared fake receipts and vouchers to tamper with the actual records. Interestingly, the deposits made by the accused were shown on vouchers which already had another entry. According to the rules of the university, only single receipt number can be entered on a single voucher and viceversa. The receipts submitted by the accused showed a voucher number but the voucher bearing the same receipt number had strangely two entries which raised eyebrows among senior staff. Sources disclosed that inorder to conceal the evidence Bikramjit Singh even went on setting the record on fire and burnt the vouchers last year. The inquiry was ordered by the authorities. The committee collected remains of the badly burnt vouchers and found that these had bogus entries as one voucher carried two receipts. The sources further said after the inquiry Amarjit Singh and Cheema were found allegedly involved in embezzling Rs 2 lakh and Bikramjit Singh for embezzling Rs 5 lakh. The authorities ordered recovery from the two and ordered dismissal of Bikramjit Singh as the probe proved his ‘major involvement’ in the case. However, the terminated employees could not be contacted for comments. |
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Couple held for murder, theft Ludhiana, June 21 Disclosing this in a press note issued here today, the SSP of Jagraon said the accused, Gurwinder Singh, alias Gora, and his wife, Surinder Kaur, had been arrested by a police party from Sherpur Chowk today after the police got enough clues about their involvement in the case. Almost all the stolen items, including a car, had been recovered. The couple confessed to the crime and said they had committed it in order to clear a debt of about Rs 15,000 due to the recent construction of their house in the Mullanpur township. The incident had taken place on Sunday night at the Dasmesh Nagar residence of an NRI, Mr Karnail Singh, living in USA for the past 20 years. Dalip Singh, the 68-year-old caretaker of the palatial house, was allegedly murdered by the accused, who later decamped with valuables from the house. They even locked the house from outside. The incident came to light only late in the morning, when certain relatives of the NRI living in the town had gone there to meet him. According to the SSP, the accused was employed as a driver with the NRI family in the town and had worked in the same capacity with the caretaker. His wife was working as a domestic help. The SSP said at first sight the case looked to be the handiwork of some robbers. The police got suspicious about the involvement of certain known person of the family as the attackers had not broken any doors or locks. The police said it seemed that the deceased knew the attackers and had allowed them in without suspicion. He said the Maruti Esteem car (PB-25-A-4025), which was parked at the house for several months, could have been driven by a mechanic or driver only. The police began to keep tab on certain suspects and the couple was one of them. They were caught finally at Sherpur Chowk while they were in the process of transporting the stolen item to one of their relatives house in Talwandi Mallian village. The recovered items also included a movie camera, a microwave oven, an audio CD player, a still camera, some watches, a walkman, a mixie, Rs 2200 in cash and several other small utility items. The police was now probing into the possibility of the involvement of any other person in the crime. |
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Panic grips villagers after
dacoity Ludhiana, June 21 Nearly 10 armed dacoits with muffled faces beat up several labourers and tied them up before decamping with cash, jewellery and other household items. The dacoits also snatched away piggy banks of children. The Jagraon police is suspecting the hand of a few former as well as serving labourers of the brick-kiln. The police said the manner in which the houses were targeted also hinted that some of the gang members had the information that some of the victim labourers had amassed their wages of past months and were about to return to their native villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The SSP, Mr Jaskaran Singh, said the police had got relevant clues about the identity of the persons involved in the incident and assured the case would be solved soon. According to the statement given to the police by victim family members, the incident
occurred at about 2 a.m. The dacoits, who were barefoot and wearing under-garments, struck at the houses of Ajmer Singh, Geja Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Vidhya Kaur and Karnail Singh apart from certain migrant labourers. The dacoits first fooled the labourers saying that some quarrel had arisen at the brick-kiln and they should all go into their houses for their safety. The dacoits then looted each house turn by turn. They beat up anyone trying to show resistance. The dacoits tied the labourers and gagged them. According to the victims, the looting continued for about an hour. The injured persons were admitted to a hospital in Raikot. The victims said the dacoits took away a colour TV, a camera, some cash, gold and silver jewellery. This is incidentally the third case in villages falling under the Raikot police station in the last four days. Earlier, armed robbers had struck at Rajgarh village.
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Criminals back in business at
railway station Ludhiana, June 21 For one thing, beware of any one asking you, ‘Kahan jana hai’. Because that is how all such operations of these criminals begin. It happened on Tuesday night with a group of six Muslim migrants who had arrived at the railway station here to catch a train for Kishanganj in Bihar at the end of their three-month stint as farm hands at Aujla village near Bilga. Before they could buy the tickets for their return journey, they were accosted by three Bihari youths. They asked them the same question. ‘Kahan jana hai?’ The gullible labourers on hearing Bihari language told them they were bound for Kishanganj. At this, the three youths said they were also going to Patna. But , according to them, because of the heavy rush at the station, it would not be possible to get seats on the train. It would be more convenient to board the morning train at Phagwara. The unsuspecting labourers agreed to the proposal and accompanied the youths to Phagwara by bus. The youths, instead of taking the migrants to the railway station from the bus stand, asked them to have some tea before going to the station and spending the night there. The poor labourers could not resist the temptation of cream biscuits, which obviously were heavily laced with some drug. As a result, five of the group of six fell unconscious. The sixth one, who could not have his share of laced biscuits because he was too sleepy, also went into deep slumber, thus facilitating the job of the thugs. In the morning, when the one who had not taken the biscuits, woke up, he found himself and his companions deprived of thousands of rupees and belongings. The unconscious labourers have been admitted to the Civil Hospital at Phagwara and the city police there has registered a case under Sections 328, 379 and 34 of the IPC, according to information reaching here today. Inquiries made today by Ludhiana Tribune at the local railway station revealed that while these migrants invariably looked upon the Punjabis with mistrust and refused any food offered to them, they would accept any eatable from a man belonging to their own state. So the gangs involved in looting the migrants comprised of migrants themselves. Though the cops looking after the area are fully in the know of everything illegal that goes on around, they console themselves with the fact that the actual crime of looting was not done at the railway station itself. They do not seem to be much concerned or perturbed over the fact that the railway station was being used as a hunting ground by these criminal elements.
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72 MIG flats given to
allottees Ludhiana, June 21 Speaking on the occasion, he said it was for the first time that the flats, offered under self-financing scheme, to be completed in two and a half years, were ready for possession in two years. He said work on a prestigious city centre project, named ‘Punjab Gaurav’, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Colony, would commence soon. Sprawling on an area of 25 acres, the project would have all latest facilities of international standards and would be first of its kind in northern India. Among other facilities, it would have hotels, multiplex cinemas, restaurants, banks, corporate offices, exhibition halls, commercial centre, museum, recreation club, department stores, showrooms and hospitals. According to Mr Vyas, the LIT had decided to construct a bypass from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar to provide direct access to Ferozepore Road from Pakhowal Road. Two main roads each of 100 feet and 200 feet width, were being constructed for entry to Shaheed Bahagat Singh Nagar from Pakhowal Road. The LIT chairman further informed that triple-storey MIG flats in Maharishi Balmiki Nagar and six-storey super-deluxe flats in BRS Nagar were near completion and the possession would be shortly handed over to the allottees. In addition, construction of MIG flats was in progress at various sites, such as Rajguru Nagar and Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar. The multi-storeyed commercial complex ‘LIT-2001’, another prestigious project, was also coming up fast on Maharani Jhansi Road in the city, he added. Earlier, Mr Vyas, accompanied by his wife, formally declared the MIG flats colony open and also planted saplings at several places. |
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SDM to probe non-registration
of assault case Ludhiana, June 21 He was concerned at the non registration of an FIR into a case where the victim had suffered multiple fracture in his left arm on April 18, and the SHO of the police station of Payal was reluctant to register an FIR. Mr S.K. Sandhu ordered an inquiry by the SDM of Khanna, which would be completed within two weeks, to find the reason behind non-registration of the FIR. According to Gurumukh Singh of Sehaura village in Khanna police district, falling under the jurisdiction of the Payal police station, he was attacked by his brother Thakur Singh and his son Gurmail Singh on the morning of April 18 over a dispute about sharing of water for their fields. He alleged that he was assaulted by his brother and nephew and he his left arm was fractured. He was still carrying plaster on the injured arm. He alleged that when he approached the DSP and the SHO, they threatened him and used foul language. He was asked to get an X-ray done, before an FIR could be registered. He got the X-ray done on April 19. The doctors did not provide him the copy of the report and he was told that the report would be sent directly to the police. The police has since been claiming that it did not receive the copy of the report . Taking strong note of it, Mr Sandhu asked one of the police officers present at the sangat darshan, whether the fact that the victim had suffered multiple fractures was not sufficient for registering an FIR. The police officer also admitted that there was some undue delay in the registration of the FIR. Mr Sandhu also directed the Ludhiana Civil Surgeon, to look into the matter and find out which doctor had done the X-ray. |
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Tohra hits out at Badal,
Sukhbir Khanna, June 21 Mr Tohra said the law and order situation was poor in Punjab. The culprits were not being arrested by the police, but were getting political patronage, he claimed. He alleged that bureaucrats in Punjab were taking wrong decisions at the behest of the government. He demanded a CBI inquiry into the case of Mr Arun Goyal. He said the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, was silent regarding giving more powers to states, which other political parties in the country had supported. He added that there was a talk about federal system in the country, but it was nowhere in the Constitution. Mr Tohra announced that his party would submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, demanding that he take up the matter of gurdwaras in Pakistan. By selling the land of those gurdwaras, more development work regarding gurdwaras could be done, he added. He refuted the claim that the Bathinda oil refinery had been brought to Punjab by Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal. He said Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was fooling the people by saying that this refinery would cost Rs 26000 crore and would provide employment to 2000 persons, while the truth was that it would cost Rs 9900 crore and would provide employment to 900 persons. He questioned the NDA Government at the Centre as to what it had done for Punjab. There had been no capital investment in Punjab till today he added. He alleged that the Prime Minister had announced to give Rs 100 crore on the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa, but had given only Rs 170
crore. He demanded that Chandigarh, along-with Punjabi speaking areas of Haryana, should be handed over to Punjab. He clarified that they had also demanded the districts of Karnal and Hisar and three tehsils of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh for inclusion in Punjab. He announced that his party would contest all the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab in the coming elections. |
Deserted father approaches
DC Ludhiana, June 21 Feeling desperate and helpless, he today appeared before Deputy Commissioner S. K. Sandhu at the weekly
sangat darshan. However, he was advised to settle the dispute with the help of his relatives only since it involved his family. Arjun Singh alleged that his eldest son who was doing quite well in hosiery business had deserted him. He said he had been suffering from diabetes for the past 35 years. He had also suffered heart attack. But the eldest son refuses to pay for his medicines. The old man who is a widower has three sons and four daughters. He owned a vegetable shop in the subzi mandi, which is managed by his younger son, with whom he was staying. Arjun Singh argues that his younger son, with whom he was staying was not in a position to pay for his medical bills. So he had asked his eldest son to pay for the same. He alleged, although he (the eldest son) would agree to pay, but later on he would back off. Arjun Singh claimed he had provided accommodation to his son in the house constructed by him. “Despite all that I have been doing for my son, he refuses to acknowledge all that”, he told The Tribune with tears in his eyes. He alleged that his son did not even pay for the illness of his mother (Arjun Singh’s wife). He claimed that he had to sell a peace of land for her treatment as his sons refused to pay for her medicines. Arjun Singh said he never wanted to tell anybody about the treatment he was being meted out. “But I felt desperate and helpless and thought that I should approach the DC. May be he would help, but he also disappointed me”, he regretted. |
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Bardhan flays Centre’s economic
policies Ludhiana, June 21 Various speakers at the conference maintained that these policies had hit the the common man, resulting in alarming increase in unemployment and poverty, fall in agricultural production, denial of remunerative prices to the farmers, problems in procurement of farm produce, sickness in industrial sector and making basic needs like health and education unaffordable and beyond the reach of common man. Besides cadres of several left organisations, trade union activists and representatives of unions of government and semi-government employees from Telecommunication, Punjab State Electricity Board, Food Corporation of India, Roadways and many other departments attended the conference in large numbers, braving sweltering hot and humid weather. Mr A.K. Bardhan, Vice-President, AITUC, addressing the conference, focused on the plight of the peasantry, working classes, farm labour, youth, women and students and the apprehended adverse effects of the policies of globalisation and liberalisation being implemented in the WTO regime. He emphasised the need to check fast-increasing joblessness due to closure of industrial units and thousands of small-scale and tiny units going sick. The pace of industrialisation needed to be stepped up to create more job opportunities, he added. Opposing privatisation of public sector units in fertiliser, electronics and banking sectors as a fall-out of pro-imperialists and WTO policies, Mr Bardhan called for a debate on the economic policies of the government and suitable changes in policies and programmes to safeguard the interests of the common people and the working classes. Mr Bardhan made scathing attacks on the government for what he described as repression and exploitation of workers all over the country. He demanded immediate withdrawal of anti-labour amendments in industrial laws, an end to contract system of labour and employment and job security of industrial workers. In addition, the government must make an upward revision in minimum wages to fix these at Rs 3500 per month, frame comprehensive legislations for agriculture workers and ensure cheap ration to workers through extended public distribution system, both in rural and urban areas. Prominent among other speakers at the conference were Dr Joginder Dayal, secretary, All India Kisan Sabha, Mr Bhan Singh Bhaura, president, Khet Mazdoor Sabha, Mr Bant Singh Brar, general secretary, AITUC, Punjab, Mr Bhupinder Sambar, vice-president, Punjab Kisan Sabha, Ms Mohinder Sambar, general secretary, Punjab Istri Sabha and Mr Gulzar Gorea, general secretary, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha and Mr N.K. Gaur, general secretary, Bank Employees Federation, Punjab. Through various resolutions, the AITUC and other left organisations urged a strong and firm stand in the coming ministerial meeting to amend provisions of WTO agreements, which were loaded in favour of developed countries at the expense of under developed nations. Special clauses should be added to these agreements to ensure food security and development needs of these countries, direct subsidies, supply of cheap inputs and remunerative prices to farmers, they demanded. The rally called for curbing the free import of 1429 items through quantitative restrictions to save small-scale industry and agricultural sector and to enhance the investment in agriculture to 40 per cent. By other resolutions, the conference demanded free compulsory education up to secondary level, declaration of employment as a basic right and an unemployment allowance of Rs 2000 per month, equal pay for equal work and 33 per cent reservation for women in State Assemblies and Parliament and effective measures to curb crimes against women and to alleviate poverty. |
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‘Formation of third front near
completion’ Samrala, June 21 Talking to mediapersons at the local Civil Rest House, he alleged that the Badal government was working against the policies of the panth. He ruled out any rapprochement with the SAD. He said the rest of the Akali factions had worked out a formula for the constitution of the panthic forum. He disclosed that Baba Sarabjit Singh Bedi would be its president and a committee comprising all senior Akali leaders of different factions would be formed to run the new forum. He added that it would work for the betterment of the panth, besides giving a clean government to the people of Punjab. He informed that moves were afoot to have an alliance with the BSP and other smaller parties and bring them on a common platform. |
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Cong exploited Punjab:
Talwandi Sahnewal, June 21 This was stated by the SGPC president, Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, in his address to Akali workers at Gurdwara Reru Sahib in Nandpur village. He further added,” Indira Gandhi has given an unhealing wound to Punjabis all over the world. “Now is the time once again to weigh the pros and cons of the existing situation and choose with reason as to who should be chosen in the coming elections. The SAD-BJP coalition government, led by Mr Prakash Singh Badal has worked with all its might to ensure stability and prosperity to the nation. Sangat darshans have been introduced to have direct linkage with the problems and difficulties of the people and make them economically self-dependent.” He said,” I am sure the next government would once again be of Mr Badal. He appealed all Akali workers to collectively participate in the district party conference to be held on July 2. The gathering was addressed apart from others by Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Technical Education Minister, Mr Gurmail Singh Sangowal, a member, SGPC, Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Director, Markfed, Jathedar Dya Singh, president, District Akali Jatha (Rural), Mr Santa Singh Umaidpuri, chairman, Market Committee, Sahnewal, Baba Jagroop Singh, Circle president, Mr Jagdev Singh Tajpuri, a former minister, Dr Shamsher Singh Kaile, president Nagar, Panchayat, Sahnewal, Mr Pawan Kumar, BJP mandal president, Mr Moola Singh Barwa, Mr Tejinder Singh Sandhu, Jathedar Daljit Singh Bedi, Mr Karamjit Singh Bhairomunna and Mr Gurcharan Singh. |
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Delegation meets
DIG Ludhiana, June 21 According to Mr Dawer, the DCC assured its cooperation to the DIG in ensuring proper law and order in the area. The delegation also brought to the notice of the DIG and hoped that he will come best to the expectations of the people. Besides Mr Dawer, the delegation included the PCC general secretary, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, and various local office-bearers of the party. The DCC president particularly brought to the notice of the DIG the traffic-related problems in the city. He pointed out that there was considerable resentment prevailing among the people over the indiscriminate traffic challans. He suggested that instead of penalising people, the traffic police needed to launch an awareness drive among the public so that the rules were not flouted. |
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PSIEC draws flak for incomplete project Ludhiana, June 21 They also flayed the show-cause notices being issued by PSIEC to the allottees and demand for extension fee for the fourth and fifth years. They pointed out that CET plant for electroplating was to be installed by PSIEC, the cost of which was included in the price of land. He alleged that common effluent treatment plant had not been completed. The electroplating units were forced by the Pollution Control Board to
install the treatment plant. The units were facing difficulty in getting the electricity connection. They further alleged that the 34-acre pocket, the development work of which was allotted in 1997, had not been completed till date. PSIEC had not charged interest upto December 31, 1999, and the claim that the development had been completed and the allottees been given three years for construction and production with effect from January 1, 2000, was contrary to facts. They demanded a high-level inquiry into the delay in the development and misappropriation of funds. They further demanded that the extension fee for the fourth and fifth years not be levied on the allottees. |
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PSEB to release temporary
tubewell connections Samrala, June 21 According to the XEN Mr R.P.S. Randhawa, of Samrala division as per the policy of the board, connections would be valid up to October 15 and these would be given to those consumers who have already availed this facility during the last year. Mr Randhawa also said the applicant would have to deposit Rs 5,000 as non-refundable and the connections would not be regularised as permanent subsequently, he added. The limit of maximum load to be applied will be 7.5 BHP and the connection will be released only from rural feeders without restoring to any augmentation of transmission lines and distribution transformers, he disclosed. Mr Randhawa said Rs 100 would be deposited as a processing fee along with the application
forms. Meanwhile, a BKU leader, Mr Mewa Singh Sihala, and the general secretary of the Punjab Lambardar Union, Mr Amarjit Singh, appealed to the PSEB to give temporary connections to all farmers who applied this time and have not availed the connection last year, as per their rules. |
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MC panel raises fund allocation Ludhiana, June 21 |
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Rally by Class IV employees Ludhiana, June 21 |
Two held for drug trafficking Ludhiana, June 21 Two persons were arrested red-handed while two others managed to escape. About 60 kg of poppy husk stored in six sacks was seized from their possession. The value of the recovered goods was estimated to be about Rs 50,000. The police received information yesterday that the gang members were bringing the drug to the city in a Tata Sumo (HR-01 E-5386), which has a red light installed on it. The police signalled the vehicle to stop at a checkpost near Miller Gunj Chowk. Sensing trouble, four persons sitting in the car fled. The police managed to arrest two persons identified as Dharampal and Surjit Singh. |
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